Soil-tester.



C. L. QUEAR.

SOIL TESTER.

APPLICATION FILED APR.3.1916.

Patented July 17, 1917.

/VVE/l/TR Char/es @dear WIT/VESSES:

A TTUHA/EYS 1 A CHARLES L. wenn, or Muncie, INDIANA.

SOIL-TESTER.

Application filed April 3, 1916.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. Quinn, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of Muncie, county of Delaware, and State of Indiana, have invented a certain new and useful Soil-Tester; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which likev will be of little value to the public until they are made small and compact so that they can easily be carried around in a farmers pocket and so that the soil can be tested at any place or time without inconvenience to the farmer.

Alsol the soil tester should be such as would not only determine the percentage of the free carbonates in the soil, but also the percentage of acids therein. Therefore, to make a very simple and conveniently used device, capable of determining the free carbonates and also the acids in the soil, and which will be a great practical aid in enabling farmers to determine the quality of their soils so that they can obtain the maximum results from their fields, is the object of this invention.

The chief feature of the invention consists merely in the combination with a small glass jar, of a tube extending down through the cork thereof almost to the bottom and having its upper end enlarged somewhat and graduated. The lower end of the jar is internally convex with its apex coming rather close to the lower end of the tube so that the gases arising therefrom willnot enter the tube, but go to the top of the jar and force water down in the jar and up into said tube.

This makes a very simple apparatus requiring only a few minutes time to complete any test and enables one to determine the percentage of free calcium carbonates or the percentage of acids as desired.

The full nature of the Vinvention will be Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 17, 1917.

Serial No. 88,562.

understood from the accompanying drawing and the following description and claims.

The drawing is a central vertical section of the device. y

This soil tester consists of only two parts, a jar 10 and a glasstube 1l inserted through the cork l2 of the jar.

The tube 11 has its lower end reduced and long enough to extend almost to the bottom of the jar, and the upper end of the tube vis enlarged and provided with graduations having indicating numerals reading upward.

The bottom of the jar is preferably very concave, so much so that the apex of the bottom of the jar comes very close to the lower end of the tube 11. Also the outer surface of the jar is graduated at 14 to indicate the desired position of the top of the earth 15 or other substance. There is also a graduation mark i at 16 for indicating the desired elevation of the fluid in the j ar. vThere is also an indicating mark 18 on the lower part of the tube 11 for indicating the normal elevation of the fluid in the tube. The upper end of the tube is open.

The device is used and operates as follows: 2O grams of substance is used as the basis in this tester. The soil 15 to be tested is placed in the jar 10 to a height slightly below the apex of the bottom of the jar. There will then be no earth on the bottom of the jar under the tube 11 so that any gas formed from said soil will not pass into the tube 11, but into the upper part of the jar 10.

Water is then introduced into the jar 10 until it reaches the graduation A16 on the bottle. Then the tube is inserted in the bottle and the cork secured tightly, the solution rising in the tube 11 approximately to the indication mark 18 thereon. The water rises to this point due to the pressure exerted in forcing the stopper tightly into the bottle.

Sulfuric acid is then introduced through the tube 11 until the iiuid rises in the tube 11 to the Vindication mark 18. The sulfuric acid, being heavier than water, gradually passes into the bottom of the bottle and the soil or other material to be tested becomes disintegrated by contact with the acid and carbon dioxid gas will be developed from the free carbonates in the soil. The resulting gas within the jar above the fluid will exert a pressure on the fluid and raise the fluid level in the tube to some indicating numeral on the graduated scale on the upper or larger part of tube 11, and thus register the per cent. of lime indicated by the test.

When testing for acid the same device is used, but finely powdered calcium carbonate in suspension in water is used instead of the sulfuric acid used when testing for carbonates.

rlhe purpose of the peculiar construction of the bottom of the jar with ,reference to the lower end of the tube ll'is tol prevent any appreciable amount ofsoil from lying on the bottom directly under the lower end of the tube 11. Instead the soil surrounds the lapex ofthe bottom; Therefore,y the gas arising from the soil will not `enter the tube 18, but only rises to the chamber in the -up.-

- per part of the] ar and when it accumulates there,V will exert a downward pressure on they surface of the wateror fluid and force it up the tube to the graduated scale.

The inventionclaimed is: l

l. -Anapparatus for determining the percentage ofy carbonate's or the percentage of acids in materials including a `jar having its 'lower end internally lconvex and 'a measuring tube adapted to extend into said jar into close proximity with the apex of said f convex end, an enlarged portion on said tube above said jar and graduation marks on said enlarged portion for measuring the discharge of the contents of said ar.

2. A Vsoil tester consisting of a jar with the lower end conical in form and extending upward within the jar, a stopper,'and a tube extending through the stopper down into close' proximity with the apex of said conical end,the upper portion of the tube beingI graduated.

3. A soil tester consisting* of a jar having its lower end conical inform and extending upward within said jar, a stopper, a tube extending through said stopper down into close proximity with the apex of said conical end, an indicating mark on said tube within said jar, an enlarged portion on said tube above said jar and graduation marks on said enlarged portion for measuring the discharge of the contents f said jar.

,In'witness whereof, I have hereunto af fixed my signature in the presence of the witnesses herein named.

' CHARLES L'. QUEAR.

Witnesses:

VF'Loss HARTMAN, F. R. G'RIFFITH.

Copies of this patent :majr be obtaiilei lfor ipverlients each, by addressing the .Commissioner of Patents,

' Washihgtnn, D. caf 

